In a hospital setting, intravenous fluid is delivered from an infusion source, such as an intravenous (IV) bag, to a patient. In some applications, fluid is delivered through a series of conduits spanning between the infusion source and the patient. More particularly, a fluid delivery conduit, which is connected to the infusion source, is fluidly connected to a fluid receiving conduit which is connected to the patient.
To replace an evacuated infusion source, the fluid delivering conduit is disconnected from the fluid receiving conduit, while the fluid receiving conduit remains connected to the patient. It is typically desirable to leave the fluid receiving conduit, e.g. a catheter, connected to the patient because it may be difficult and time consuming to reconnect the catheter, and may present discomfort to the patient.
Convenient disconnection of the fluid conduits presents an opportunity for narcotics abuse or exposure to hazardous materials, for example. More particularly, if the contents of the IV bag are a narcotic, such as morphine, an individual may disconnect the conduits to withdraw the contents of the IV bag for his or her own unauthorized usage. Furthermore, if the contents of the IV bag are hazardous, such as are chemotherapy fluids, a medical technician or patient may unintentionally disconnect the fluid delivering conduit from the fluid delivering conduit resulting in leakage of the hazardous chemicals. Thus, a need exists to prevent or discourage disconnection of the fluid conduits once interconnected.